


Get Out of My Loop

by iristiel



Category: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs
Genre: Confessions, Dorks in Love, Enoch can't handle emotions, Enoch is probably gay, Fluff, Love Notes, M/M, Openly Bisexual Horace, probably
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-18
Updated: 2018-08-18
Packaged: 2019-06-29 08:16:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15725508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iristiel/pseuds/iristiel
Summary: He found the note on his pillow.It was folded a little awkwardly, not a perfect crease - which slightly irritated him - and leaning against his pillow. Horace gently picked it up with two fingers and opened it.[Get out of my loop.]





	Get Out of My Loop

**Author's Note:**

> motivation is hard
> 
> Set before Jacob arrives and ruins everything :D Jk, I love him, don't worry ♡

He found the note on his pillow. 

It was late at night, time for the peculiars to be in bed. Miss Peregrine was strict about curfew. (She treated the older ones like they were still eight!) Horace was generally obidient when it came to the Bird's orders though, so as usual when she announced it as bedtime he was one of the first to go upstairs and into his bedroom. 

That's where he spotted the note.

It was folded a little awkwardly, not a perfect crease - which slightly irritated him - and leaning against his pillow. Horace gently picked it up with two fingers and opened it.

[Get out of my loop.] 

That was it. No signature, the handwriting was slightly messy but he couldn't tell whose it was. (He knew it wasn't Olive's, she always made her o's a heart.)

Horace set the note on his dresser and began undressing, putting his suit on a hangar and covering it in a protective case before changing into his simple cotton pajamas. He set his hat on the hat-rack and gently put his monocle in a box. 

Horace grabbed the note before laying in bed, staring at the words as the light from his kerosene lamp flickered and casted shadows on the paper. He began racking his brain for ideas. 

Sighing, he set the paper on his night stand and blew the lamp out. It was probably some silly prank one of the younger ones were pulling. Best to just ignore it, for now. 

Horace rolled on his side staring out the window, listening to the sound of incoming airplanes. He closed his eyes, knowing Miss Peregrine was up and watching the reset. 

He fell asleep before the bomb dropped.

 

/ Break / 

 

The next day went about as usual. Breakfast was made and eaten, the children chattering. Horace kept an eye out for anyone acting different, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Olive and Claire were cheerful, Fiona was silent, Hugh was too busy eating and keeping his bees in order to talk, and Enoch was scowling. Feeling a little more assured, he happily ate his breakfast. 

After breakfast was chore time. Miss Peregrine assigned the peculiars their tasks for the day, always in pairs. "Emma and Millard, you two clean the chimney. Bronwyn and Olive, scrub the stairs. Victor and Claire will take the laundry out. Hugh and Fiona will get the leaves out of the gutter - and no funny business this time, Miss Frauenfeld." 

Fiona blushed faintly. Hugh didn't even look ashamed. 

"Horace and Enoch shall clean the kitchen." 

"Why us?" Enoch grumbled, but silenced any further protest as Miss Peregrine gave him a sharp look. The children were dismissed and sent away to do their respective jobs. 

Horace put an apron on over his suit, causing Enoch to scoff. "Why are you wearing that? You're not cooking. It looks stupid." 

"To protect my clothes from any stains or dust, which you obviously you don't do." Horace wasn't fazed by Enoch just being... well, Enoch. His suit would remain clean, which was important. 

They took different shifts. Enoch scrubbed the stove and did the dishes, Horace dusted and swept the floor. The paler boy would sigh from time to time, but Horace ignored it. 

After an hour they were almost done. All Enoch had left was scrubbing the counter tops. But he just pulled two clay men from his pocket, making them do it. 

"The Bird won't like that," Horace said with an eyebrow raised. "Just do it yourself, it's not that hard." 

"She won't know." 

"She always does." Horace gently pushed the clay men aside, making Enoch grumble. He took the sponge himself and began scrubbing while Enoch just stood behind him, watching - 

\- Bloody hell. Enoch had planned that, hadn't he? Just to avoid one mundane task. 

Horace angrily finished and threw the sponge in the sink. "Happy now, you lazy deadweight?" 

"Delighted," Enoch said with a blank face. Gently putting his clay men back in his pocket, he left the room. 

Horace removed the apron, folding it and laying it back in its drawer. Deciding to be useful, he went to help Bronwyn and Olive. 

"Hullo!" Olive greeted, a rope around her waist and anchored to a stair rail near the bottom. She was scrubbing the undersides of the top stairs while Bronwyn cleaned the upper sides. "Care to help Bronwyn?" 

"Sure." Horace smiled, grabbing an extra sponge and starting from the top to meet Bronwyn in the middle. The two girls had a little fun as they cleaned, Olive cracking jokes and keeping them in better spirits. Much better company than Enoch. 

With three of them working, the job was done quickly. Horace helped Olive into her shoes and untied the rope. After a bit, Victor and Claire had finished too. The chimney cleaning took the longest, so Emma and Millard would probably be awhile. Hugh and Fiona would take a long time because they couldn't keep their lips to themselves. 

"Can we play now?" Claire and Olive asked Miss Peregrine, hopefully. 

Alright. Don't get your clothes dirty - your other clothes are still drying." The older lady smiled at her children. 

With a cheer, the younger ones ran out followed by Bronwyn to supervise. Victor joined them as well. After thinking, Horace grabbed a book and went outside as well. The sun was shining as always. He sat under a tree with a book, and began reading. 

It didn't take long for the two youngest girls to creep over. "Play with us!" 

"Not right now, maybe later." 

"Aww, come on Horace! Pretty please?" 

"As I said, maybe later." 

Both the girls pouted, making Horace hesitate. 

". . . Fine." He closed his book, standing up. "You're very impatient. What are you playing?" 

"Hide and seek!" Olive grinned, happy she had won him over. "Wyn's gonna be 'it'!" 

"Okay," Horace nodded with a small smile. "The usual rules?" 

"Mmhm! Olive can't float outdoors, we stay out of the Bird's room, and out of Enoch's lab." 

"Very well." Horace removed his hat and monocle, laying it under the tree. "Wyn, start us off by thirty?" 

The masculine girl nodded, turning to press her nose to the tree and closed her eyes. "One... Two... Three... Four..." 

The children scattered, Olive and Claire whispering excitedly as they rushed to find their favorite spots. 

Horace went inside the house, considering his options. The library would be decent, depending on the spot. The attic would be okay too, since Emma wasn't playing and wouldn't get upset. Then he remembered a spot that Millard had commented on a few days prior. 

With a confident smirk, Horace went into the kitchen and into the pantry. Carefully, he sat in the darkest corner that was partially hidden by a box. Bronwyn may or may not see him if she came in - it was a fifty/fifty chance. He tucked his knees under his chin, compacting himself as much as possible. 

Minutes ticked by with no sounds coming from the kitchen. After what he approximated to be about ten minutes, he heard the tell-tale shriek of Claire. Bronwyn must have startled her. 

Horace thought of where the others could be. Olive was probably floating on a ceiling somewhere, having hidden her shoes. Victor was trickier - he could be outside in a tree, or in the basement. He was kind of unpredictable. 

There was a rustling sound in the kitchen, making Horace freeze as he listened carefully. 

The door opened, light spilling into the pantry. Horace realized it was Enoch, grabbing empty jars. 

The grumpy peculiar sighed, then cursed as he accidentally knocked a bag off a shelf. 

Horace grabbed it, holding up. "Here." 

"Thanks - BLOODY CHRIST!" Enoch jumped, startled. "Horace, what the-?" 

Horace hopped up, yanking him fully inside and shutting the door. "Shh! I'm hiding, and with your shouting Wyn will definitely find me!" 

He heard Enoch sigh in the darkness. "If you don't want me to scream, don't scare a man like that!" 

"I apologize. I didn't do it intentionally." As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Horace could see the slight irritation and leftover shock on Enoch's face. 

There was silence for a moment before Enoch reached for the door handle. It swung open before he had a chance to grab it, revealing Claire. 

Her eyes widened. 

"OOOOO! Enoch and Horace are in the closet together!" 

"HEY! It's not like that!" Enoch snapped angrily, quickly stepping out. "The idiot scared me and dragged me in to keep me quiet!- Are you even listening?!" 

Claire was just giggling. "Horace and Enoch, sittin' in a tree~" 

Horace rolled his eyes. "That's enough Claire, we were just talking. Right, Enoch?" 

The blonde was silent. Horace noticed the faintest bit of pink dusting his face before Enoch simply muttered, "Whatever," and stormed out. 

Claire blinked. "Is he really upset? I was just teasing..." 

"I know," Horace said. "Just give him space - it's just his temper. Anyway, have you found Victor and Olive yet?" 

With the distracting question, Claire forgot about the pantry incident and grabbed Horace's hand, pulling him to go help her find the others. 

/ Break / 

Dinner was rather quiet. Olive and Emma held most of the conversation up with Victor and Bronwyn occasionally putting their opinion in, but that was about it. Enoch still seemed upset, his eyes would occasionally flit over to Horace. Rather obviously too, since Horace noticed every single time he did it. 

Hugh talked a little bit, mostly trying to keep as many bees inside as possible. Fiona poked at her food, a small blush adorning her cheeks. She was probably caught with Hugh. Again. 

Most of you seem quiet. Is there any particular reason?" Miss Peregrine looked around at her children. 

Enoch started to shake his head but Claire decided to pipe up. "I found Horace and Enoch in a dark closet, alone!" 

The table went deathly silent. 

Hugh snickered as Enoch rose to his feet. "Claire! I swear, it wasn't like that, okay?!" No one was listening to him. Olive was giggling, Emma was smirking, and Bronwyn looked mildly surprised. 

Miss Peregrine looked at Horace. "I'm sure you have a valid explanation, Mr. Somnusson." 

"Yes ma'am." Horace briefly explained what happened. The other children clearly didn't believe it, but it seemed to set Miss Peregrine at ease. 

"Very well, accidents happen. Continue eating before the food gets cold and Miss Bloom has to warm everything up," Miss said sternly. 

The peculiars nodded obediently and continued eating. 

After dinner everyone went into the living room and sat on the couch. Emma held a popcorn bag and simply popped it by warning her hands. Bowls were passed around and everyone got their share of the fluffy popcorn. 

"Horace." Miss Peregrine dimmed the lights and handed him his projector. Horace removed his monocle and gently set the projector over his eye, flicking it on. 

Projected on the wall was a simple dream - Horace walking through a field and wearing his finest suit. Then of course, a dream about him trying on clothes. 

"Will you ever have any interesting dreams?" Enoch huffed, but his eyes didn't leave the projection. 

"Like what? You two snogging?" Hugh smirked as Enoch turned a shade of scarlet, throwing a pillow at him. 

"Oh, shut up," Enoch said with a growl. "Don't be ridiculous." 

Miss Peregrine tutted. "Children, that's enough," she said with a stern look. The peculiars mumbled amongst themselves as Horace removed the projector and handed it back to the headmistress. 

"All right, everybody start prepping for bed," Miss Peregrine ordered. The younger ones hopped up first, racing to the bathroom to grab their toothbrushes. Bronwyn and Emma helped clean the leftover popcorn as the others headed up to their bedrooms. 

Horace followed Victor upstairs, passing the berserker as he reached his room. With a content sigh, he opened the door. 

Another note lay on his bed. 

He blinked, surprised. Horace walked to the bed, quickly scooping up the note and reading it. 

[Sorry if the other note seemed rude. A friend told me it wasn't the way to go. Meet tonight in the garden, after the reset?] 

Also you looked kind of nice today.] 

Horace stared at the letters on paper until it clicked. Someone... liked him. As in romantic interest. He sat on his bed, absorbing it. 

It wasn't Emma. No way. She wasn't over Abe. Olive and Claire didn't care about romance and crushes, just playing really. He could easily rule out Hugh or Fiona because it was obvious they had something, even if they denied it. 

That left Bronwyn, Enoch, Millard, or Victor. 

Horace felt... a little excited. For one, someone out there appreciated him, which was nice because sometimes he felt less-than-perfect around all the other peculiars. His peculiarity seemed useless in comparison to Bronwyn's strength, Emma's fire, or Fiona's plant ability. All he did was dream about clothes and occasionally the future. 

Horace snapped out of his daydream, thinking back to the potential note writer. He found himself kind of hoping it was Enoch. For one, it would be funny to see him blushing and stumbling over his words. And yes, the openly bisexual Horace had to admit that Enoch was definitely attractive. 

Taking a breath to collect himself, Horace dimmed his lantern as if asleep. He couldn't believe he was actually going to sneak out. Breaking rules was something he tried to avoid, but this was too much to pass on. Even if it turned out to be a prank, he needed to know. 

The sky turned from dark blue to inky black. After some silent minutes, the familiar sound of airplanes crept through the night. The first squadron passed over the home, the house shaking ever so slightly. 

At about the time the bomb would have made impact, Horace saw the reset out the window. Once it was finished, it was night again. Just twenty four hours earlier, as always. 

Heart pounding, Horace waited a couple of more minutes before slipping out of his bed. After some hesitation, he decided to leave his lamp. 

Horace carefully opened his door and peeked out. The hallway was deserted and silent, only a lamp near a window providing any light. He crept out of his room down the stairs, avoiding the creaky one. 

Downstairs was just as dark and quiet. Horace was sure the entire house could hear how loud his heart was thumping as he went out the back door. It squeaked, making him flinch. Luckily it wasn't loud enough for anyone to hear. 

Horace exhaled, walking into the garden and looking around. Nobody else was there yet. 

"You seriously showed up?" Enoch seemed to appear at the entrance of the garden, looking surprised. He held a candle, illuminating his face. 

"I was invited. It would be rude not to show." Horace shrugged. He smiled. "So, you want me out of the loop?" 

Enoch's ears turned pink. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm not good with words or feelings." He nervously shifted. "S-so... hell this is hard." 

Horace couldn't help but snicker, making Enoch growl. "It's not funny!" 

"No, it's not. But watching you try to form sentences is pretty funny," Horace said. "Take your time." 

"Alright, jerk. I think you're attractive and I actually like seeing your dreams because you look wonderful in all the clothes. You make me feel stupid sometimes but I don't entirely hate it when it's you and you make me feel embarrassed-" 

"For heaven's sake Enoch, just bloody ask me out and you don't have to keep rambling." 

Enoch stopped rambling, looking a little relieved. "Fine. W-will you go out with me, Horace?" 

"Yes," Horace smiled, "As long as I can stay in the loop." 

"Bloody hell. How many times are you going to bring that up?" 

"As long as I live." 


End file.
